diff --git a/.github/workflows/publish.yml b/.github/workflows/publish.yml
index 94cb58a..100ee2a 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/publish.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/publish.yml
@@ -3,18 +3,23 @@ name: Release
 # Formal releases are tag-only. Tags must be vX.Y.Z (stable) or a PEP 440
 # prerelease with a v prefix (e.g. v0.9.16a1). The package version in
 # pyproject.toml is the source of truth and must match the tag (without v).
+#
+# Jobs are split so a failed GitHub Release can be re-run without re-uploading
+# to PyPI. No GitHub Environment / approval gate (small maintainer set).
 on:
   push:
     tags:
       - "v*"
 
 jobs:
-  release-pypi:
-    name: Release to PyPI
+  build:
+    name: Build and validate
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     permissions:
-      id-token: write
-      contents: write
+      contents: read
+    outputs:
+      tag_version: ${{ steps.ver.outputs.TAG_VERSION }}
+      prerelease: ${{ steps.ver.outputs.PRERELEASE }}
 
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v7.0.1
@@ -100,6 +105,7 @@ jobs:
           TAG_VERSION="${{ steps.ver.outputs.TAG_VERSION }}"
           # Match Towncrier headers exactly: "## Release v{version} ({date})".
           # Require a space after the version so v0.9.1 does not match v0.9.15.
+          # Non-dotfile name: upload-artifact ignores hidden files by default.
           awk -v ver="$TAG_VERSION" '
             $0 ~ ("^## Release v" ver " ") {
               if (found) exit
@@ -109,39 +115,70 @@ jobs:
             }
             /^## Release/ && found { exit }
             found { print }
-          ' CHANGELOG.md > .changelog.md
+          ' CHANGELOG.md > release-notes.md
 
-          if ! grep -Eq "^## Release v${TAG_VERSION} " .changelog.md; then
+          if ! grep -Eq "^## Release v${TAG_VERSION} " release-notes.md; then
             echo "CHANGELOG.md has no section header matching '## Release v${TAG_VERSION} …'" >&2
             echo "Run: uv run towncrier build --version ${TAG_VERSION}" >&2
             exit 1
           fi
-          if [[ ! -s .changelog.md ]]; then
+          if [[ ! -s release-notes.md ]]; then
             echo "Extracted changelog is empty" >&2
             exit 1
           fi
 
-      - name: Upload artifacts
+      - name: Upload release artifacts
         uses: actions/upload-artifact@v7.0.1
         with:
-          name: fit-tool-wheel
+          name: fit-tool-release
           path: |
             dist/*.whl
             dist/*.tar.gz
+            release-notes.md
           if-no-files-found: error
           retention-days: 15
 
-      # Publish only after version + changelog gates pass so a missing
-      # Towncrier section never leaves an orphan PyPI upload.
+  publish:
+    name: Publish to PyPI
+    needs: build
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    # No GitHub Environment / required-reviewer gate (small maintainer set).
+    permissions:
+      id-token: write
+      contents: read
+
+    steps:
+      - name: Download release artifacts
+        uses: actions/download-artifact@v7.0.0
+        with:
+          name: fit-tool-release
+          path: .
+
       - name: Publish to PyPI
         uses: pypa/gh-action-pypi-publish@release/v1
+        with:
+          packages-dir: dist/
+
+  github-release:
+    name: Create GitHub Release
+    needs: [build, publish]
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    permissions:
+      contents: write
+
+    steps:
+      - name: Download release artifacts
+        uses: actions/download-artifact@v7.0.0
+        with:
+          name: fit-tool-release
+          path: .
 
       - name: Create GitHub Release
         uses: softprops/action-gh-release@v3
         with:
           tag_name: ${{ github.ref_name }}
-          body_path: .changelog.md
+          body_path: release-notes.md
           draft: false
-          prerelease: ${{ steps.ver.outputs.PRERELEASE }}
+          prerelease: ${{ needs.build.outputs.prerelease }}
         env:
           GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
diff --git a/docs/RELEASING.md b/docs/RELEASING.md
index 638d53d..c72ca81 100644
--- a/docs/RELEASING.md
+++ b/docs/RELEASING.md
@@ -13,9 +13,19 @@ Releases. Day-to-day contribution rules live in [`AGENTS.md`](../AGENTS.md).
 | PyPI | Trusted Publishing (OIDC); no long-lived API token in the repo |
 | GitHub Release | Created by the same workflow; body = the matching `CHANGELOG.md` section |
 
+The Release workflow is **three jobs** (no approval Environment):
+
+1. **`build`** — tag / `pyproject` gate, `uv build`, dist version check, changelog extraction, upload artifact  
+2. **`publish`** — download artifact → upload to PyPI  
+3. **`github-release`** — download artifact → create GitHub Release  
+
 The workflow **does not** rewrite the package version from the tag. It only
 checks that they match. If they differ, the job fails before publish.
 
+There is **no** GitHub Environment required-reviewer gate: push of a valid `v*`
+tag runs the full pipeline automatically (appropriate for a small maintainer
+set).
+
 **Tag rules**
 
 - Stable: `v0.9.16` (must match `version = "0.9.16"` in `pyproject.toml`)
@@ -47,7 +57,11 @@ checks that they match. If they differ, the job fails before publish.
    git tag v0.9.16
    git push origin v0.9.16
    ```
-9. **Watch** Actions → workflow **Release**. Expect: version gate → `uv build` → dist version check → **changelog section gate** → PyPI publish → GitHub Release with changelog body and `prerelease=false` for stable tags. (Changelog is validated *before* PyPI so a missing Towncrier section cannot leave an orphan upload.)
+9. **Watch** Actions → workflow **Release**:
+   - `build` → version / dist / changelog gates  
+   - `publish` → PyPI  
+   - `github-release` → GitHub Release (`prerelease=false` for stable tags)  
+   Changelog is validated in `build` *before* PyPI so a missing Towncrier section cannot leave an orphan upload.
 10. **Verify**:
     - https://pypi.org/project/fit-tool/ shows the new version
     - `pip install fit-tool==X.Y.Z` (or `uv add fit-tool==X.Y.Z`) works
@@ -63,7 +77,9 @@ checks that they match. If they differ, the job fails before publish.
 
 ## Failure notes
 
-- **PyPI succeeded, GitHub Release failed**: do **not** re-run the whole job blindly (PyPI will reject the same files). Create or edit the GitHub Release for that tag and paste the matching changelog section, or fix the Release step and re-run only that step if the workflow is later split.
+- **`build` failed**: fix the tag, `pyproject.toml` version, or changelog; push a corrected tag/commit as needed. Nothing was uploaded to PyPI.
+- **`publish` failed**: inspect the job log (Trusted Publishing / network). After a successful fix, use **Re-run failed jobs** so only `publish` (and then `github-release`) re-run.
+- **`publish` succeeded, `github-release` failed**: use **Re-run failed jobs** (re-runs only `github-release`). Do **not** use **Re-run all jobs** — that would re-enter `publish` and hit PyPI duplicate-file errors for the same version.
 - **Version already on PyPI**: bump to a new version; never try to overwrite.
 - **Never** push a release tag or publish to PyPI from an automated agent unless a human explicitly requested that release.
 
diff --git a/news/SHA-36.doc b/news/SHA-36.doc
index 1ac1015..f93a3b2 100644
--- a/news/SHA-36.doc
+++ b/news/SHA-36.doc
@@ -1 +1 @@
-Document the release checklist and harden the tag-based PyPI/GitHub Release workflow (version gate, ``v``-prefix tags, changelog extraction).
+Document the release checklist and harden the tag-based PyPI/GitHub Release workflow (version gate, v-prefix tags, changelog extraction, split build/publish/github-release jobs).